


Tell Me Why

by hellotweetygirl



Category: SHINee
Genre: Cuddles, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, bff drama, boys being stupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-09-19 18:18:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9453929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellotweetygirl/pseuds/hellotweetygirl
Summary: Kibum's debut in ToHeart catches Minho by surprise. He's confused and hurting and really just wants his best friend to talk to him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Ok, so this turned into a beast of a fic…like the word count- wow! It’s been ages since I wrote something this long but I just couldn't stop. What started it in the first place was seeing the Toheart support message that SHINee filmed together. While adorable, it was evident to me that Minho was PO'ed at Key for leaving them out in the cold. That thought plagued me and thus was born fic! Hopefully it’s worth a read! Honestly, I don’t know where some of this came from- don’t hate me- just enjoy ok? Ok.

It was late, not late enough for people to be asleep but definitely late enough for the dorm to be dark and everyone who was at home to be retired to their rooms for the evening. Minho was lying on his back in his bed solely illumined by the beam from the lamp clipped to his headboard as he pretended to read. What he was really doing was letting his mind race wild. Letting your mind race wild could be a pretty terrifying thing if one did it properly and Minho was pretty sure he was doing it properly. Part of him was boiling with anger, wounded with betrayal, and the other part of him was inflicting some pretty heavy duty emotional wounds on himself for what he could only chalk up as his failures as a best friend. He didn’t know which emotion was going to win out but he wanted to make his mind up soon so that he knew which one to lob at his so-called best friend.

Over the last few months, he hadn’t felt anything was wrong, hadn’t thought anything was out of place. Yah, sure, he had been busy- but so had everyone else and there was just only so much one person could keep track of before imploding- but apparently some of them had been more busy than they had let on and some of them were apparently better at keeping secrets.

Right now he wanted nothing better than to throttle his best friend- and such thoughts had his mind spinning a dozen different directions with all the speed and none of the finesse of the earth hurtling around the sun. 

Just then, before he could settle his mind one way or another, the door in the entryway slid open and softly clicked shut. The shadowed figure that entered removed his shoes and jacket in the hallway. Before he could move to the door on the opposite side of the hall Minho called out in a soft voice stretched thin with his conflicting emotions.

“How long did you know Bum?”

The figure in the hall froze and stood trapped for a few moments before making a move. The blond haired boy came out of the shadows and leaned in his doorway, one hand in the jam of the door as he leaned his head into it and one hanging idly by his side. He didn’t need to ask what they were discussing, it had been hanging in the air between them all week and throughout today’s Toheart support message filming. 

“Four months,” he offered, his voice carefully neutral.

Minho closed his eyes and willed himself to control his temper. “Four months?!” he shouted, so much for control. He jumped up from the bed, book forgotten as it tumbled to the floor, as he stalked towards him his fists clenched tight. He could see a flash of panic cross Kibum’s face, his eyes going wide in an odd sort of fright and it caught him back. How could he…?! He slowly, consciously, unclenched his fists and they hung limply at his sides. 

“Don’t ever,” he warned, his voice gone cold. “Don’t ever think that.” Their gaze locked and his mind swam with the emotions flying between them. He held out his hand silently pushing distance between them and walked away turning his back on him. He wasn’t ready for this, he couldn’t do this now he suddenly decided- but the swirling words had a mind of their own and the next thing he knew they were spilling clumsily from his lips.

“How could you…?” he choked and began again “Why would you…I mean, why wouldn’t you…?” The words in his throat caught and stuck fast when his mind screamed at him that they should be pouring from him hot and biting- something to leave a mark on his friend in trade for the pain digging deeper into his own heart. He hung his head. He hated this feeling. He felt helpless against favors asked, Kibum’s choices, and his own inability to wade through his personal emotions and talk to this boy before him. He could feel Kibum’s eyes watching everything, reading everything. Slowly he moved away from the door and came to stand behind him, within arm’s reach but still not touching.

“Will it make it better if I apologize?”

Minho’s choked snort was quick and mirthless. “No.”

“Then what do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know Kibum, seems you’ve been really good at choosing the words you say and don’t say to your friends,” he said coldly, bitterly. “How about you pick something good and see if you can fool me again?”

“Yah! That’s not fair!” Kibum reached out and grabbed his shoulder spinning the larger boy around with force. He shoved at his shoulder and tried to find the eyes that turned from him and refused to make contact with his. “Fine,” he huffed, “Whatever, be that way!” He turned to leave.

Panicking Minho looked up, his hand shot out and he grabbed the blonde’s arm urgently.

“Wait! Wait, I’ll listen,” he said. “I just…Kibum-ah do you understand how angry I am right now? How hurt? Do you understand why?” He spoke softly, his voice pleading with the other to understand. He could see his friend swallow thickly and then nod slowly.

“I think so.”

Minho sighed, his thoughts hadn’t stopped racing and he desperately needed them too if he was to fix this whole mess with Kibum. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed his mind to go still. He breathed deeply for a moment then wordlessly he stepped back towing the other boy with him and steering him onto the bed. The bed squeaked in protest as both boys cautiously settled themselves on it, backs pressed up against the wall and feet dangling over the opposite edge.

Minho began hesitantly, part of him wanted to look anywhere but at the boy beside him, but the other part of him needed to see his reactions to what he was about to say so he sucked in a deep breath and began.

“I’m more disappointed really than angry. You didn’t trust me,” he accused, voice low and rumbly. The boy beside him squawked in protest but he held up a finger forcing him into silence. “You didn’t, don’t pretend. Don’t say you did when we both know you didn’t. If you trusted me you wouldn’t have held back with me. If you cared about me- about our friendship- at all you would have confided in me. What the hell kind of friend doesn’t tell people about major life events?!” he challenged, not really expecting an answer. “Who was the first person I told when I was cast in my drama’s? Huh?” He shoved gently at the other's shoulder with his elbow and ducked his head down to wait for a response.

“Me.” Kibum sighed, “It was me.”

“That’s right, because I cared. I cared Kibum, and I wanted to be happy with you. It’s no fun being happy on your own. That’s something that should be shared.” He sighed, glancing up, “The worst thing is that I didn’t know about it.”

“I think you’ve covered that already” Kibum groused.

“No! Not that!” his hands flailed about trying to communicate quicker than his words would. “I mean, for four months I didn’t know something was different with you. I didn’t see the changes in you; I didn’t sense that something was up or wonder what you were doing with all your time away. What kind of terrible friend am I to not notice?!”

“My best friend.” He schmoozed, answering softly and shoving into his side and glancing up at him. “Really, don’t blame yourself. It was me. I can be a pretty sneaky guy if I want to be!” The blond bit his lip and threw Minho a smile.

“Yeah, I’m getting that picture,” he retorted.

They sat there for a minute in silence before Kibum began speaking to him again. “Do you know what it’s like to be afraid Minho?” he asked.

Minho raised his eyebrows at this, wondering where his friend was going with his question. “Yes,” he answered honestly. “Of course!” 

“Have you ever failed at something?” Minho began to again answer in the affirmative but he was cut off- “Yah! I don’t mean beating the Old Man at arm wrestling- I mean something serious!” he pouted.

“Hey! Beating Onew hyung is serious!” Key snorted and they exchanged wryly amused looks.

“I’m serious Min. Sometimes I’m really afraid.” He took a deep breath, “This is easy, SHINee is easy- in a sense I mean, because I have all of you to help me, to support me. I decided I needed something that was hard, something I could fail or succeed at on my own. Something to make me not afraid. I needed to know if I could do it without you guys. You know things are going to change in a few years with all of us- what if without you guys I’m a nobody? What if my career falls apart and, and- what if you all do fine without me and I’m the only one who fails at life and…stuff?”

Minho looked at his friend intently, eyebrows raised, not believing the stuff coming from his mouth.

Kibum sighed, “Look, once the ball started rolling with this thing I- I didn’t know how to control it. I thought about telling you, about telling you all, but I wasn’t supposed to and I was afraid of them stopping the launch if they knew…” he trailed off, knowing his words were making little impact by the seriously not impressed face that Minho was sporting. Kibum suddenly smacked him hard across the belly and shrieked, “If I told you, you would have told the whole world because you would have been so freaking excited and proud! You can’t keep a secret worth a-”

Minho cut him off mid-nag, “Hey, I keep plenty of secrets and you know it! Don’t blame this on me! You just panicked!” he said indignantly. “You panicked because you were afraid of what we all would say when we found out. Of how we would feel with you leaving us! You could have told us what you needed and why but you chickened out Kibum! You knew it would be easier when it was public because we all would have to be polite and glad about it and you thought you wouldn’t have to deal with all this emotional crap that we’re stuck in now!” Minho’s voice had escalated with his emotions as he again said more than he had planned on saying. With the realization he snapped his jaw shut and ground his teeth. He glanced at the boy next to him, recognizing that his words had hit their mark- and of all things he felt sorry… The silence between them drew on, neither speaking, only thinking.

“I don’t like it when you call me on my crap,” his friend murmured, defeat evident in his tone. “I like it much better when you’re my cheerleader.” He glanced at Minho offering him the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Minho snorted, he could see where this all was going but held his peace.

“Where do we go from here?” Kibum asked hesitatingly. “Are you going to hate me forever?”

“I don’t hate you Bummie, you know that,” Minho sighed. “But I really don’t know where we go…it still hurts…” his voice trailed off as his mind again kicked in and spun circles of possibilities.

“I think I should apologize.”

“Really?” Minho looked at him with raised eyebrow, judging his seriousness.

“Yes really!” he paused. “I’m sorry.”

“I know,” came the immediate reply.

“Are we good?

Minho looked the blond in the eye. “Don’t lie to me- ever. Don’t hide- I want to know what goes on in that silly skull of yours” he ruffled his hair, fondness seeping into his actions. His hand trailed down to Kibum’s nape and settled there as he looked him in the eye. “You aren’t nobody Bum, and you’re never going to be a nobody either so just forget it. You are somebody to SHINee, and all the fans…and someone to me. Don’t pull stunts. You leave me out in the cold again and I just might wring your neck,” he spoke gruffly, gently squeezing the neck in question.

“Yah!” squawked the head attached to the neck. 

The swirling thoughts in Minho’s mind settled, becoming like gentle ripples across still water, and he knew that good intentioned or bad, coward or hero, saint or fool, Kibum was his friend and needed his support. “Com’ere,” he motioned to his friend. “We’re good,” he murmured. 

Kibum smiled and quickly leaned into his shoulder, head resting comfortably and sighed. “I missed you- a-all of you,” he quickly amended, chewing his lip. “It was weird shooting without you guys.”

“That I still might be mad about,” Minho grumbled.

Kibum pushed into him with more force and harrumphed.

“It was weird working with Woohyun too,” Kibum rattled on quickly. “He can be…a real perfectionist! I never thought I’d be sick of him- but that night after we finished filming I so was!”

“Now you’re just saying things to make me feel better,” Minho pouted cutely, crossing his arms.

“Is it working?”

“Maybe,” the pooched lipped one answered keeping his tone aloof. “I would have come for everything, you know that right?” he asked in a softer tone. The boy beside him hummed.

“Bummie, I want to be there for you. For everything, I mean it! Let me be by your side and support you during your schedule's these next few weeks. I know it’s going to be tough for both of us but whatever time I don’t already have scheduled is yours.”

“That would be nice,” the boy on his shoulder purred, pleasure evident in his shy voice. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” he reached down and laced their fingers together. “'I’m the one who matches with you,’ you know. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Kibum looked up at him curiously, recognizing the lyric line. “You already have that whole darn song memorized don’t you?”

Minho just smirked at him waggling his eyebrows. “Maybe.”

“Well just to ‘be clear, it’s only one out of the two of you’” he quoted back “-and guess who I’m going to stick with?”

Minho beamed, he loved the play between the two of them, the push and pull, it kept his life interesting. Even if the last few days had been hell for him he realized that he hated being mad at Kibum almost more than anything and was willing to do just about anything to make it up again. He smiled fondly down at Kibum. “Kkomde?” he answered cheekily.

Kibum smacked his arm. “You know,” he laughed, “I dressed Kkomde up in a dino costume for the photo shoot! I thought it would make me miss you guys less but it just made it worse,” he lamented.

Minho snorted and began grinning ear to ear. “You dressed your dog up as a dinosaur?” Kibum nodded questioningly. “You made a real life dinopup,” he restated, enunciating clearly. 

Kibum grinned wickedly and before the two of them knew it smiles dissolved into puddles of laughter as they sprawled out on the bed, all right with the world again. Minho propped one hand behind his head and once again laced his other with his friend’s slender one as the boy snuggled into his side. He shook his head sighing happily at the way his night had turned out. “Jjong’s going to kill you!”

**Author's Note:**

> A/N2: I hope the bit about the lyric worked ok, if you didn’t notice in the vid Minho has “Delicious” memorized enough already to sing it to another tune…


End file.
